On the occasion of the announcement of my retirement from full-time ministry, Sunday January 5, 2025.

I really wrestled and prayed about how to do this service today; and this is what I felt led to do:
— First, I want to share some news with you,
— And then I want us to look at a word from the Lord that I believe applies to Cheryl’s and my situation, and will hopefully speak to all of us in some way too.

THE NEWS: I don’t know how much of a shock it will be to many of you, that I need to announce my retirement from full-time ministry at First Baptist Angleton at the end of this month.

Most of you know that my wife Cheryl had a stroke the last day of August, and since that day, my primary concern has been taking care of her, and assisting in every way I could with her rehabilitation. That has pretty much been a full-time job, and I’ve temporarily set aside many of my church duties to do it. I am SO thankful that you all allowed me to do that. I felt absolutely NO pressure from anyone here at the church to come back and preach, or get back to full-time ministry — I have felt a lot of SELF-imposed pressure, I will tell you, but there has been none from anyone at church, and I greatly appreciate your love, patience, and understanding these past months. As I have mentioned before, your reward is with the Lord, and from my perspective, this church will fare well on that day for the way you treated me.

But although you have been SO patient and SO understanding, this church needs a full-time pastor — and the truth is, I am just not able to be a full-time pastor right now. I can’t do it. So it is obvious to me that I need to step aside, and let the church call a pastor who can lead it full-time.

Now, there are some churches where, if I were in this situation, I might consider seeing if I could just work part-time. But this is not that kind of church. We relocated from our downtown facility to this new campus, specifically so that we could reach people from Angleton and all over Brazoria County from this strategic spot, planted right by Highway 288. It is a fantastic location for future growth. And I believe that growth WILL happen. But in order for that to happen, the church needs to have a pastor who can give 110%. I have been the kind of pastor who could give 110% in the past — but I cannot do that today. So honestly, it is in the best interest of the future of the church, for me to step aside and let you call the man God has prepared to take you through the next steps. Bro. Rodney had the vision. Cheryl & I helped you “get across the Jordan” and “into the Promised Land.” And now after me there will come another who will take you even further. I believe the future here at First Baptist Angleton is very, very bright. If you’re visiting today, get in on this great church and all that it’s going to be in the future!

And I don’t way to lay all this at the feet of Cheryl and her stroke, either, by the way. My health has been in decline for a few years, as many of you know. That’s why I sit here at this table to preach. I’ve had several people who have visited here say they really like the ambience I have here with the table, that it’s very cozy, and if it’s cozy that’s good; I’m glad. But I don’t do it for the ambience; I do it because I am not able to stand and preach for any length of time. And I’ve become more and more shaky, and more and more weary over the past couple of years. It’s gotten very difficult for me to get out at night, for deacon’s meetings, or ACS Board meetings, or prayer meetings — and you need a pastor who can do all those things, and I just can’t. So I was already praying about it anyway — and then Cheryl had the stroke, and I’ve heard that you should never make a decision when you’re tired, or in the middle of a crisis, so I tried to come back for a while and see what I could do — but over the last weeks it’s just become clear that I will not be able to give you what you need as a pastor, and after much prayer, it’s become very clear that this is what we should do.

The most difficult thing for us is the relationships. We love so many of you all; and we have felt loved by so many of you. That’s always the hardest part in ministry. But I am convinced that, just like Jesus said to His disciples in John, that “It is to your advantage that I go away,” I believe that’s true for you all too. It will really be better for you all, in the long run, for us to step aside.

So my plan is to retire from full-time ministry at the end of this month, and Cheryl & I will move to Oklahoma (surprise, surprise!) to be with some of our kids, grandkids, and many others from both sides of our family who live in that area.

And I want to say this: although I will be leaving full-time ministry, I have no plans to discontinue serving the Lord. We should always serve God as long as we live; I’ve taught that, and I will live that. It’s been neat to see how God, in His providence, has already provided my next avenue of ministry. Some of you know that back in 2020, during the COVID crisis, I started doing a Sunday School lesson overview video to help our teachers get ready for the lesson on Sunday mornings. I posted it on YouTube so our teachers could access it, not realizing that teachers from other churches would be able to find it there too, which they did. A couple of weeks ago, I went over 5000 weekly teachers who subscribe to the videos. So every week I get to share God’s words with 5000 teachers, who are teaching who knows how many people in their 5000 classes. It’s by far the widest teaching ministry that I’ve ever had. And the neat thing is that God just did it — it wasn’t my plan for that to happen. But also now, looking back, I think God in His providence was already preparing me for my next ministry. So now I don’t have to wonder how I might be able to serve Him as I retire and also care for Cheryl. He’s already opened that door — and I’ll be able to do it on my own time, in my own home, on my own schedule. So I’m grateful for God’s providence, like we talked about last week, in providing me an avenue to continue to serve Him in a meaningful way, even after I retire from full-time ministry.

So I’m announcing today, and our house will be on the market tomorrow, and we’re going to start packing — and that whole unpleasant process of moving that we hate but just has to be done — so please keep us in your prayers; we will still need them greatly. And I hope you know that you will be in ours.

THE WORD
So that’s our news. If you have questions about anything, you can ask me or Cheryl about it. We’ll be at the door on the way out today, and we’ll be here the next 3 Sundays (Jan. 26 should be our last).
I know that often a pastor will share that he’s leaving at the end of a service, and then dismiss everyone, but I felt like we needed to hear from God before we leave today. God always has a word that applies to our situations. And I feel like this verse from Isaiah 41:10 is a word from the Lord for our situation today:

“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

The context here in Isaiah chapters 40-66 is that Isaiah the prophet is looking ahead, through the revelation of the Spirit of God, to the soon-coming days when Judah would be judged, and many of the people would be carried away into captivity into a foreign country, Babylon. (This is where Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego would be). This was a frightening prospect for those people. What would happen? What would it be like to be taken away to a foreign land like that? How would their needs be met? What would their future be like? You can imagine all the questions, and fears, that they would have. There’d be a lot of anxiety there.

Over Christmas I read a biography of Fred Rogers, who did the children’s show “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood.” At one point, Rogers had decided that he had done enough of “the Neighborhood,” and he was going to retire from the show, and pursue some other endeavors. One of Rogers’ co-workers at the time, Basil Cox, later said: “The decision to stop children’s programming left everyone at the production company questioning each other about the future: ‘What’s next? You know: What are WE doing next?’ was the common refrain … there was a feeling of anxiety, I think, for sure …”. You can understand that, right? “Mr. Rogers” was leaving — what are WE going to do?! They were all very anxious about what the future might hold.

So we don’t have to be taken captive into a foreign land to feel what the people of Judah did here in Isaiah 40:
— You can feel that way if your pastor’s leaving, and you don’t know how the transition is going to go, or who the next pastor is going to be!
— You can feel that way if you’re the pastor who’s leaving, and you don’t know when your house will sell, or what house you’ll get in your new place, or how all the transition’s gonna go!
— You can feel that way if you have something completely different going in your personal life or family life or business, that is bringing a feeling of anxiety and uncertainty into your life.
It doesn’t take much imagination for many of us to understand what they were feeling here in Isaiah 40. It’s that feeling of “anxiously looking about you” that Isaiah 41:10 talks about.

So for all of us who feel that way, for all of our various reasons, God has a word for us today, from Isaiah 41:10: “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

This is a great word for all of us who are tempted to “anxiously look about” us. What is God’s message? He says, “DO. NOT. FEAR. … Do not anxiously look about you.” That’s our natural inclination in uncertain times. We DO fear. We do have that sense of “anxiously looking about” us — most of us know what that is like — like how Mr. Rogers’ employees felt that day.

But God says DO NOT be like that. Why? He says, “FOR I AM WITH YOU”!

Most of us can probably remember being a child, and being afraid to walk down a dark street alone. But if our dad went with us, and held our hand, it was all ok. What made the difference? It was the same dark alley; nothing else had changed — except now we knew our Father was with us, and he was holding our hand. And HE made all the difference.

So in that same way, many of us today are walking into a dark “alley;” a dark “valley,” of sorts, if you would. But God is saying to all of us: don’t be afraid. I am holding your hand. I am with you.

And notice how He really emphasizes that in this verse. He says:
— “Do not fear, for I am with you.”
— “Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.
— “I will strengthen you.”
— “Surely I will help you.”
— “Surely I will uphold you with MY righteous right hand.”

“I … I … I … I … I” — FIVE TIMES in this one verse, God says I AM WITH YOU! I AM GOING TO HELP YOU! He could not be more emphatic, or more clear: YES, you are going into a dark, unknown valley; but don’t be afraid — I am your Father, your God — and I will be with you! You have no cause to be afraid.

It’s just like Psalm 23 says, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, FOR YOU ARE WITH ME! That’s the whole message of Psalm 23: God is with us! Our Shepherd is with us. I’ve mentioned before that those words “For You are with me” are at the very center of Psalm 23 in Hebrew. There are exactly 26 Hebrew words before that phrase, and there are exactly 26 Hebrew words after it. So the words, “for You are with me” are at the exact center of Psalm 23. And to the Hebrews, that was important. It says: This is the center. This is the spotlight. This is what this is all about, that God is with us.

And that’s what it’s all about for us too: The Lord is with us, so we don’t need to fear. Cheryl & I were talking about Psalm 23 just the other day. A lot of us think, “Oh, Psalm 23, that’s that old Psalm that everybody knows …” — but WHY is Psalm 23 so well known; WHY is it so popular? It’s so popular because it is so good! It’s like you walk into the #1 rated BBQ joint and eat some of their ribs, and you go, “Oh, I see why they’re #!” Psalm 23 is like that. Go back and read it again — try to read it again as if you were reading it for the first time — study it, meditate on what it really means — and you’ll see: “OH, THIS is why this Psalm gets quoted so much — this is why it’s #1 — because it’s so good!” And the goodness of Psalm 23 lies more than anything in those words: “FOR YOU ARE WITH ME”!

And that’s the message of Isaiah 41:10 here as well. Don’t be afraid; don’t anxiously look about you: God says I – I – I – I – I am with you! And when God is with us, He makes all the difference.

So I believe this word applies to a lot of us this morning:

A. First of all, it sure applies to me and Cheryl!
I’ll be honest, Cheryl & I have been through a lot of dark valleys in the last 5 months: deaths of 3 close family members, Cheryl’s stroke, what we first thought was financial ruin, then the agonizing, step by step road back of rehab. For a while there, it was hard not to “anxiously look about” and wonder when the next shoe was going to drop! We had a kind of PTSD: what was the next tragedy that was going to hit us? And we’re still tempted to do that: now I’m retiring, and I think I’ve got a good plan – but will it be enough? Can we get everything done with the move when Cheryl usually does 90% of it for us? Can we find the right place in Oklahoma? And on and on. If you’re not careful, it’s easy to “anxiously look about you.”

But as I’ve shared several times, God has upheld us with His word. He’s given us so many scriptures that have just ministered to us over these months, which have held us up through this time, including Psalm 116 and 118 for me; and for Cheryl: Lamentations 3:21-23, that God’s mercies are new every morning, and Isaiah 58:11, that the Lord will give strength to her bones; Joshua 1:8-9, to be strong and courageous; and now Psalm 107:30, that He will guide us to our desired haven. And He’s also given us this verse, Isaiah 41:10 — and I think it’s been very interesting how many of YOU have also sent us Isaiah 41:10 in cards and notes! We have needed that truth and we still lean on it: Cheryl & I don’t need to anxiously look about us; GOD is with us! He’s going to get us through this, and as Psalm 107 says, HE will bring us to our desired haven. Don’t feel sorry for us — pray for us — but don’t feel sorry for us: GOD IS WITH US! This verse applies to us.

B. But this verse also applies to our church too, doesn’t it: don’t fear this news. Don’t anxiously look about you, church. Don’t fear for First Baptist Angleton. God is with you! Yes, your pastor is leaving — but GOD isn’t going anywhere! God’s still with you!

I think of Isaiah 6 that I mentioned the other day, about how when King Uzziah of Judah died — he’d been king over Israel for 52 years (remember, that would be like 13 4-year terms for our President!). You can imagine how the people had come to rely on him, and felt comfortable because he was there. It had been one of the best and most prosperous times in Israel’s history — and now King Uzziah was gone. But Isaiah 6:1 says, “In the year King Uzziah died — I SAW THE LORD!” THAT’s the important thing: King Uzziah was gone — but GOD was not! God was with them — and He gave them that great word in Isaiah 6. God was still with them.

And it’s the same for First Baptist Angleton today. God is with you. And God is still going to be with you. God has a plan for this church. Just like He didn’t bring the children of Israel out of Egypt, just so He could abandon them to die in the wilderness, so God did not bring this church out to Highway 288 to let it wither and die on the vine! NO! Hear God say to you, Church, “I know the plans I have for you! It’s plans for good and not for evil!” I really believe that word applies to our church. God has good plans for this church. Now, this is going to call for some things from some of you: you need to be faithful in your attendance; don’t stop coming just because the pastor’s not here. Be faithful in your giving; keep supporting the church. Some of you are also going to need to step up into positions of ministry and service like you haven’t here before — but God’s brought you here for that reason; He’s prepared you for it. So step up and be ready to help. And most of all, pray/pray/pray! Keep this church from the schemes of Satan by your consistent prayers. Do all those things — but don’t worry. Don’t anxiously look about you. God is with you! He will hold your hand and walk with you. God is with you as a church.

C. And then, some of you as individuals have some areas in your own life, in which you are “looking anxiously about you …”. And this word is for you and your situation too:
— Maybe you’re waiting on a medical test , and you’re worried about it.
— Or you have an uncertain job or financial outlook for 2025.
— Or you’re tempted to worry about your kids or grandkids.
Or some other thing. This word is for YOU today: DO NOT FEAR; God is with you. DO NOT anxiously look about you. God is with you. HE will strengthen you; HE will surely help you; HE will surely uphold you in YOUR situation today with His righteous right hand. God is with you, if He is your Lord & Savior — and if He is really with you, it will make all the difference, in your own personal situation.

I shared in prayer meeting one time how a woman (Mary Willis Shelburne) wrote to C.S. Lewis and shared with him how she was anxiously worrying about the possibility of having to go to what she called “an old folks home” one day. Lewis wrote back to her, and part of his response was this: “As for the bug-bear of Old People’s Homes … If you ever do have to go to a Home, Christ will be there just as much as in any other place.” (C.S. Lewis, Yours, Jack, p. 337)

That’s a good word for any Christian right there: don’t fear that dark valley that appears just ahead of you; CHRIST will be there with you! “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil — FOR YOU ARE WITH ME. And HE makes all the difference, when He is with us:
— If Christ is with you, you can live through a fiery furnace;
— If Christ is with you, you survive a den of lions;
— If Christ is with you, you can walk on stormy water
— If Christ is with you, you can flourish in the “old folks home”!
— If Christ is with you, you can take those scary steps in a stroke rehab, and even pick up and move and set up a new household while you’re recuperating!
— If Christ is with you, your church can thrive during an interim time and call just the right pastor HE has planned for you, and grow, and reach, and care for more people than you ever did before!
— And if Christ is with you, YOU can walk through YOUR personal “dark valley,” too, whatever it is.

So I think a whole lot of us need this word today:
— Cheryl & I need it for what we’re facing;
— this church needs it as it looks to the days ahead
— and some of you personally need it, as you walk through your own “dark valleys.”

We all need this word. So let’s hear the word of the Lord today:

“Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

INVITATION:
Each person needs to hear and apply the word of God for themselves.
This is God’s word — but it’s up to YOU to hear it, and to apply it to YOUR life situation.
So ask yourself: What does this verse mean to ME, to MY family, to MY specific situation today? What is the thing in my life that tempts me to “anxiously look about” and worry? God says don’t fear; look to Me! Some of us may need to write this verse down on a card, or post it on a note on your phone, and read it over and over until you can quote it by heart — Cheryl & I are also going to give you this verse on a picture card as you leave this morning — but learn this verse — and then every time you’re tempted to worry and “anxiously look about you,” quote it again. Take up “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,” and fight off those dark darts of the enemy. Apply God’s word to YOUR situation today..

And most importantly, DO YOU REALLY KNOW FOR SURE THAT GOD IS WITH YOU TODAY? Do you know that Jesus is your own personal Shepherd, your Lord & Savior, so that you can really claim this verse? If you haven’t, repent of your sins today, and ask Him to save YOU, and He will take your hand and walk with you through every dark valley for the rest of your life — until He brings you “dwell in the house of the Lord forever”!